Why The Best Developers Do Backflips

Kym McNicholas
, SubscriberCovering tech and the power brokers of Silicon Valley.Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

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“It’s not a requirement for an employee to have a passion outside the office,” says Becerra. “But when we learn about the activity, it intrigues me as to the kind of person they are because I think it says a lot about their personality.”

Becerra especially likes to hire risk-takers, such as Jerry Jones, who’s his Senior Software Developer, and a professional jet skier on the side.

“People can’t be afraid to take risks,” explains Becerra. “They can’t be afraid to fail or they’ll never succeed. That’s why I like Jerry. When you have someone like him who’s constantly creating his own tricks and pushing the limits on the water, jumping 30 feet in the air and turning upside down, you know that he’s not afraid to take a risk. He’s the same way in the office and he’s really been a great leader on our team because of that.”

Jones is ranked as one of the top ten jet skiers in the world.

“One of the ways I've distinguished myself in jet skiing has been by trying to do barrel rolls bigger than everyone else, and in ways that had never been done,” says Jones.

“My real shining moment in terms of coming up with tricks is the "no-hand look-back barrel roll", or as they like to call it at Mellmo, the "Jerry Curl,” laughs Jones. “It is essentially a barrel roll, in which you take your hands off the bars and turn around facing the beach (facing backwards on the ski).